URBAN HEAT VULNERABILITY

Global warming is more than a problem of rising temperatures, it's a concern for the affects it has on our environment and health. It was a pleasure to work with Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, earth scientist and researcher at the Science Museum of Virginia to produce this Heat Vulnerability Visualization. We are moving the conversation beyond is "Global warming happening?" to discuss, "What are we going to do about it?" In this viz we compare the high impervious areas and low canopy areas to temperatures on a summer day in July. No surprise that the unshaded urban areas are the hottest. When combined with economic factors we see that these are also high poverty areas. People living in these hotspots have the highest vulnerability to weather related health issues. The data collected in this research was for Richmond, VA. We feel that these conditions exist in most major cities. This viz was developed and published in September.

Join us at Start Talking Science (STS) to hear from 30 different STEM presenters, and learn from their extraordinary work.

STS is a free public event where STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) researchers present down-to-earth scientific information to the community. They aim to increase the public awareness of—and interest in—cutting-edge, local research in order to make STEM more accessible, and hope to foster insightful conversations and connections. Bring your friends and family and learn something new today! No registration required.

Where: Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut St

When: Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 6:00 - 8:00pm

Attendance: 30 STEM Presenters, 200 Public Attendees (projected)

Learn from 30 different STEM researchers from the Philadelphia area at Start Talking Science 2018! The presenters are specifically gearing up to explain their research to the general public through feedback, revisions, and workshops. Topics include astronomy, medicine, archaeology, computer science, and more!

We are honored to have been selected as a presenter. Here is some feedback we received from the board on our submission to present, "Data visualization is extremely important, as it conveys information more concisely than text results. This is a topic that would be of great interest to the public, and probably get them more interested in technology as an ever-evolving field."

Why reporting the number of people served is often not enough.

There are two central questions all organizations in the social sector must be ready to answer: Did your organization and its programmatic effort fulfill its stated mission? And to what degree were the anticipated results achieved?

Funders and supporters want to know what quantifiable and socially desirable changes have occurred as a result of a particular programmatic or organizational effort.

Let's use this fictitious example to illustrate why reporting the number of people served is often not enough. In this example, your organization seeks to reduce homelessness in a specific area within one year. At the end of the year, you report to your funders and supporters that through your programs you have helped 1000 people transition from living in the streets to housing facilities. Great job, 1000 is the number of people you have served.

But what if you shared with your funders that there are 10,000 homeless people in the area you are focused on, and out of those 10,000 you helped 1000, in year one, accounting for 10% of your target audience. And, for year two you wish to increase your goal to help an additional 2000 people. What you will have effectively done is created a measurable goal which shows your growth and impact. This example is depicted in the chart above. It is okay to share that there is more work to be done, as long as you are showing growth.

Knowing what outcomes to measure starts by understanding where you are today and what you want to achieve tomorrow.